Will Michael Jackson Ruin the Oscars?

Maybe! Tom O’Neil reports that the Los Angeles City Council — which was already broke before it had to shell out $3.5 million for security at Michael Jackson’s public memorial — will decide in September whether it will continue to pay for crowd control at large events, including award shows. Following public outrage over MJ’s funeral, L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is of the opinion that organizers should cover security bills themselves, which means the Oscar producers could get stuck with an invoice for $410,000 (which is what February’s ceremony cost the city). Or, we suppose, they could just ditch security altogether and finally make it a fair fight between nominated celebrities and rioting hordes. [Gold Derby/LAT]